"There's no such thing as ghosts,
Hop Joy."
"Mebbe so, mebbe not; no be too sure," grunted the Chinaman.
"Plete, him say they be."
But the boys did not linger to argue the matter, and only waiting
to see that Hop Joy put in a quantity of doughnuts, went to get
their rifles and shells ready.
To their surprise, when they returned to the piazza, they found the
ranchman busily overhauling his guns.
"I reckon I'll go with you," he explained. "I haven't been hunting
for some time, and as everything is quiet I can get away for three
or four days as well as not."
"Oh, good! Hooray!" exclaimed the boys.
And Horace added: "Now we won't have to worry about getting lost."
Not long did it take the lads to clean their rifles and fill their
cartridge belt with shells.
"Have you two got any knives?" inquired Mr. Wilder, looking at Tom
and Larry.
"Sure," replied Larry, and he told of the old gold miner's presents
and his advice about always carrying the pieces of thong with them.
"Silas is no fool," smiled the ranchman. "If you remember all he
told you, you won't get into trouble. Still, I think it would be
just as well for you to let me put your money in my safe. Then you
surely can't lose it."
"That's what father told us to do," said Larry as he and Tom
removed their buckskin money bags and gave them to the ranchman.
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